[Health risk behavior among young offenders].
The objective of this study was to investigate health risk behavior among teenage offenders committed to a social-educational institution in a city in Greater Metropolitan Recife, Pernambuco State, Brazil. The sample included 241 males 12-18 years of age. Data were collected with a brief self-completed questionnaire used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, translated and adapted for young Brazilians. 79.7% of subjects reported having carried a gun and 52.7% had been in fights involving physical aggression in the previous 12 months. Most of the young offenders smoked cigarettes (87.6%) and consumed alcohol (64.7%). The majority reported having sniffed inhalants (68.9%), and 81.3% had smoked marijuana. The vast majority (95.4%) reported being sexually initiated, most having had sex with more than one partner. Young offenders showed high rates of various health risk behaviors.
Sena
Cláudia Alves de
CA
Faculdade de Enfermagem Nossa Senhora das Graças, Universidade de Pernambuco, Recife, Brasil. claudiasena2004@globo.com
Colares
Viviane
V
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000374:Aggression; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008385:Marijuana Smoking; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012907:Smoking; D012919:Social Behavior; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*